The spiritual Woman

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A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man has to seek Him just to find her~Max Lucado~

 My wife perfectly embodies this definition. She has this robust, contagious devotional life that has so rubbed off on our young family and we can only but thank God for her. As I read through Luke 1:36-56 I can't help but notice the qualities of a spiritual woman as exemplified by Elizabeth. From her brief encounter with Mary we are able to learn a few vital qualities:

 A spiritual woman is Sold out. Elizabeth was totally committed to God and readily available to be used by Him explaining why she was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41 "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ") It's evident that she was a devout woman. Luke calls her a righteous woman in Luke 1:6 and as a result,she generously hosted Mary for a period of three months (v 56). What? How many pregnant women out there would go out of their way to host a pregnant woman for that long when they are almost due? And from her speech, it seems unlikely that she expected Mary to serve her. I can only imagine the kind of treatment Mary received while at her house. Your guess is as good as mine. 

 Secondly, we learn that a spiritual woman is Sensitive. This was purely because she was filled with the Holy Spirit. While every other person around Mary knew that her pregnancy was normal, Elizabeth didn't. She sensed that there was something different and unique about this pregnancy and considered herself blessed to have been visited in this way (Luke 1:43 "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" ) She would have easily shrugged off her visit as another one of those family visits but she didn't. She would have allowed her familiarity with Mary to stand in her way of acknowledging her blessing but she didn't because she was sensitive. Paul exhorts the Galatians to walk in the spirit (Gal. 5:25). Walking in the spirit enhances our sensitivity. As we walk in the spirit we are able to see the extraordinary in the ordinary and the supernatural in the natural. 

 Finally, we learn that as a result of the above two qualities, a spiritual woman is Selfless. Despite the fact that she was also pregnant and that her pregnancy was miraculous (it could only feature in the ranks of Sarah- Abraham's wife owing to her age), she did not make her pregnancy the subject of the matter. She focused on Mary's and considered her's to be better than any other woman's(Luke 1:42  Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ") Very few gifted elderly people would acknowledge and proclaim the gift of the younger equally gifted people in their sphere. 

 What an example we have here. We need more sold out, sensitive and selfless women like Elizabeth in our generation. These are women who are led by the Spirit and have learnt to rise above envy, bitterness, petty arguments and unnecessary battles. The world desperately needs them and I'm blessed to have one in my house.  

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